Signs of Marijuana Use

Here are some of the signs of marijuana use. These signs don’t necessarily mean marijuana use for certain, but they are signs of marijuana use that should cause you concern, and prompt you to investigate more thoroughly.

Bloodshot eyes - This is one of the most well known signs of marijuana use. The smoke can irritate the eyes, giving them a bloodshot appearance. Additionally, other factors (like loss of sleep due to substance abuse problem) can contribute to bloodshot eyes. Marijuana users often use eye drops such as Visine as an attempt to relieve bloodshot eyes.

Dilated pupils - These are pupils that are abnormally large. Marijuana use can cause pupils to dilate dramatically.

Smell - One of the most telling signs of marijuana use is an accompanying smell. It is possible to smell marijuana smoke on the clothes and hair of an user. Additionally, personal areas, such as a room or a car, may have the smell of marijuana smoke. Marijuana users commonly use excess perfume and often use incense. Incense in the bedroom or a smell on the clothes can indicate signs of marijuana use.

Marijuana paraphernalia - Merchandise and objects connected with marijuana use can be a big sign of marijuana use. Seeds from marijuana plants (in some case the plant or a cutting) can be telling. Materials for making homemade joints, especially cigarette papers, can be indicative. Pipes and bongs, including those that are homemade, are also warning signs of marijuana use. For homemade items, you might notice that there is sticky residue. This is a result of the burned marijuana.

Appears sleepy - Someone who is under the influence of marijuana use may seem sleepy and really relaxed.

Less motivation - Marijuana use tends to remove motivation. Regular marijuana use can lead to less interest in work or school. Additionally, someone using marijuana tends to stop trying to make and achieve goals and they begin to no longer participate in activities that they used to find very enjoyable and rewarding.

Short-term memory loss - One of the effects of marijuana use is short-term memory loss. One of the warning signs of marijuana use is that you might notice that your friends and family members using the drug become increasingly forgetful.

Signs of respiratory problems - Those who use marijuana regularly often have many of the same problems that smokers have. A persistent cough, as well as other respiratory problems, can indicate marijuana use.

Although no medications are currently available, recent discoveries about the workings of the cannabinoid system offer promise for the development of medications to ease withdrawal, block the intoxicating effects of marijuana, and prevent relapse. The latest treatment data indicate that in 2006 marijuana was the most common illicit drug of abuse and was responsible for about 16 percent (289,988) of all admissions to treatment facilities in the United States.

Marijuana admissions were in 2006 were primarily male (73.8 percent), White (51.5 percent), and young (36.1 percent were in the 15–19 age range). Those in treatment for primary marijuana abuse had begun use at an early age: 56.2 percent had abused it by age 14 and 92.5 percent had abused it by age 18.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2007, 14.4 million Americans aged 12 or older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, which is similar to the 2006 rate.

About 6,000 people a day in 2007 used marijuana for the first time—2.1 million Americans. Of these, 62.2 percent were under age 18. The Monitoring the Future survey indicates that marijuana use among 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders—which has shown a consistent decline since the mid-1990s—appears to have leveled off, with 10.9 percent of 8th-graders, 23.9 percent of 10th-graders, and 32.4 percent of 12th-graders reporting past-year use.

Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture composed of dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. Marijuana comes from a hemp plant called "Cannabis Sativa" which grows indoors and outdoors in many parts of the world, including the United States. (Hashish and hashish oil are also drugs that come from cannabis)

Marijuana grown in other countries accounts for most of the marijuana used in the United States. However, a great deal of marijuana is also grown here in the United States. In many parts of the United States, marijuana is the number one cash crop. This is mostly because it fetches a very high price on the black market.

The word “marijuana” is a Mexican slang term which became popular in the late 1930's in America, during a series of media and government programs which we now refer to as the “Reefer Madness Movement.” It refers specifically to the part of cannabis which Mexican soldiers used to smoke.